Noise cancellation circuit for electronic device

The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to noise cancellation in electronic devices.

Mobile electronic devices such as mobile phones, portable radios, personal communicators, and the like, have become increasingly common.

A disadvantage associated with mobile devices is their susceptibility to handling noise. Mobile devices often incur handling noise during communication. Handling noise may occur, for example, as a result of the user shifting the position of the device from one ear to another, exchanging the device from one hand to another, accidentally bumping or dropping the device, etc. Detrimentally, the microphone included in the mobile device typically picks up the handling noise. This can cause discomfort to the user as the mobile device oftentimes reproduces the handling noise in the earpiece of the mobile device. In addition, the noise may cause the party at the other end of the communication to experience discomfort and/or difficulty in hearing or understanding the communication.

Noise cancellation technology has been developed over the years. According to one noise cancellation technique, it is known to cancel unwanted environmental noise using a microphone specifically provided for detecting the noise. For example, noise cancelling headsets are frequently used by airline passengers to remove cabin noise, etc. However, providing noise cancellation in a mobile device in such manner requires at least one additional microphone in order to detect the noise so that the noise may then be removed. This increases the number of components and cost of the mobile device, which is undesirable particularly in a price competitive market.

In view of the aforementioned shortcomings, there is a strong need in the art for noise cancellation in a mobile device that does not rely on the provision of an additional microphone(s) for detecting and removing unwanted noise, and particularly handling noise.

The present invention provides a noise cancellation circuit suitable for use in a mobile device, and which does not require the provision of a microphone for detecting unwanted noise.

A noise cancellation circuit for an electronic device, according to the present invention, includes a first input configured to receive an audio signal from a microphone included in the electronic device, and a second input configured to receive an accelerometer output signal from an accelerometer included in the electronic device. In addition, the noise cancellation circuit includes a comparison circuit for subtracting at least a part of the accelerometer output signal from the audio signal, and an output for outputting a result of the comparison circuit.

According to one aspect, the noise cancellation circuit further includes a correlation circuit for correlating the accelerometer output signal and the audio signal, and the comparison circuit is operative on the correlated signals.

According to another aspect, the correlation circuit includes at least one of a phase adjustment circuit and a gain adjustment circuit for adjusting at least one of the accelerometer output signal and the audio signal relative to the other.

In accordance with another aspect, an electronic device is provided that includes the aforementioned noise cancellation circuit together with the microphone, the accelerometer, and audio circuitry configured to utilize the output of the noise cancellation circuit for operation of the electronic device.

According to still another aspect, the electronic device is a mobile phone.

According to yet another aspect, the accelerometer output signal is indicative of handling noise associated with handing of the electronic device, and the audio signal from the microphone is indicative of speech occurring as a result of a user operation of the electronic device and the handling noise during the user operation.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mobile device incorporating noise cancellation circuitry in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the mobile device in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

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Patent Applications in related categories:

20090279709 - Signal processing device and signal processing method - A signal processing device includes: a filter processing unit configured to execute noise reduction operations by subjecting sound-collected signals from a sound-collecting unit to filtering processing based on preset filter properties and providing with signal properties for noise reduction; a noise-unreduced signal obtaining unit configured to obtain noise-unreduced signals obtained ...

20090279709 - Signal processing device and signal processing method - A signal processing device includes: a filter processing unit configured to execute noise reduction operations by subjecting sound-collected signals from a sound-collecting unit to filtering processing based on preset filter properties and providing with signal properties for noise reduction; a noise-unreduced signal obtaining unit configured to obtain noise-unreduced signals obtained ...


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Echo canceller
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